Pickles and Ice Cream

I found out recently that my daughter and her honey are having a baby. At 41, I could still be having babies myself! In fact, my daughter was not patient enough for me to be more than 17 when I had her. Things to do, art to create and babies to make.

The subject will naturally turn to symptoms, the good, the bad, the fugly and the cravings. Which somehow led me down the path of Where did the idea of pickles and ice cream come from to stereotype cravings for pregnant women?

I thought this might possibly be something that could have started when “I Love Lucy” was around. Maybe some weird patriarchal society type thoughts. But admittingly, I am slightly perplexed. Google usually can answer any question that I have. When I can’t find the answer, it blows my mind. Like how can it NOT be out there? There HAS to be a history to this.
Wisegeek.com tells me that survey data suggests that women experience increased cravings for salty and sour flavors in the advanced stages of pregnancy, and sweets are often desired in the early stages. Bitter foods in the first trimester *can* signal the presence of a toxin which could hurt the fetus.

Of course psychologically, it can be depicted as a possible self-fulfilling prophecy.
Either way, it is noted that this combo craving is comparatively rare. I have to agree….I don’t know anyone who had such a craving.

In fact, I clearly remember with Miz Eye, I was craving deep fried chicken nuggets in the first tri. And then almost immediately, it was like a window slammed down on my gag reflex and one day I simply couldn’t stand the aroma….a trend that would continue until she was born.

With my 2nd daughter, the Humanling, I was 29 and pregnant as opposed to being 17. An interesting contrast for me. While some things were easier, some were slightly more challenging. Cravings in this case had to do with things that were not edible. Or shouldn’t have been. I yell at the cat for trying to gnaw on the metal faucets that are installed in the wall behind the toilet. But during that 2nd pregnancy, my cravings were bizarre. I noticed one day that walking into the basement was like a Baskin-Robbins to my Ol-factory. The smells of pipes, stone, paint, mustiness were something I had to inhale daily. Another one was sediment. The water fountains at my job at the time spouted water that had a sediment-pipey taste. I chugged it. I couldn’t get enough. If I could have eaten a plate of moist dirt I would have.

It wasn’t until years later that I found out there is a name for this type of craving – pica, which is a syndrome (a syndrome!!!! I was AFFLICTED by a syndrome for cripes sake!) in which people eat or crave things which are actually inappropriate for eating. The gist being that these cravings may actually stem from malnutrition or pathological factors. I don’t need to know what mine stemmed from. Let’s pretend we never had this conversation.

But back to the pickles and ice cream theory. According to Articlealley.com almost 68% of women crave for ice cream and pickles…however – do they mean together or independently of each other?

There is even a chain maternity store named Pickles and Ice Cream….and I’m reading that they are the oldest and largest in its field.

Now I really feel out of the loop. It’s all a myth to my particular chemistry….no pickle topped dulce de leche for me. No Vlasic and Haagen Daas marriage in my bowl. And to boot, the chain store has never infiltrated my brain until now. What next, I’ll start calling boneheads “Bucko” to seal the deal and own the keys to my brand new unhipness?